What is the best 1080 card 2017?

[Tom donaldson]

I am looking to upgrade my gpu from an rx480 to a 1080 simply for higher resolution gaming 1440p/ 4K for example. After doing some research i am still unable to find what is classed as the "Number 1" 1080 card in 2017 (I would preferably rather not spend over 600 pounds nor am I looking for water cooling). Also I have a 600watt psu, on the Nvidia website it suggests a 500watt requirement, is there much difference to the founders edition compared to lets say the ASUS strix 1080 which is factory overclocked? Thanks. CPU: 6600k oc to 4.5

 

[krells]

You should post the rest of you components for the best recommendation. Generally the FE card is going to be the worst performer due to the blower style cooler, although in airflow restricted cases it can be a good fit. The 3rd party air cooled cards from msi, Asus, evga, and gigabyte will give you better performance, lower temperatures and less noise.

 

[Viking2121]

The GTX1080 reference cards as mentioned above are not great at cooling, They do the job, but often get real close to where I feel is uncomfortable witch is 80 - 85C.

A dual or triple fan cooler will often out perform the blower style, but you have to remember the dual or triple fan coolers will dump all the heat in the case, potentially heating other thing up.

I have not had any experience with aftermarket 1080's, but I've definitely seen a few reference first hand at stock push upwards of 85+C.